The Stage
by Kei. M
Summary: An adaptation of the stage play. When a biohazard occurs in the Australian-based Philosophy University, former S.T.A.R.S members Chris Redfield and Rebecca Chambers reunite to stop it.
1. Prologue

**RESIDENT EVIL  
THE STAGE**

Based on the stage play: "Biohazard: The Stage." 

**PROLOGUE**

 **Rochester, Minnesota, 2005**

In the blazing ruins of Rochester, Minnesota, Tyler Howard walked purposeless through the rumbling rubble beneath his charred shoes. His skin was numb, barely able to feel the rain that gradually drenched his body from head to foot. Even with his bulletproof vest to protect him, his body was badly worn and bruised, a bullet wound had found its way deep into the flesh of his right shoulder and, though he had bound it cheaply with bandages, it continued to soak through leaving a red stream down the right side of his uniform.

He had wanted so desperate to protect and serve, to be a cop and do right to the people around him. Yet how could he even call himself a cop when the city he was sworn to protect burned around him? Was he even still alive?

Exhaustion had begun to overtake him causing his sanity to waver.

He had begun to question if he too had become a zombie, a mindless shell of a man roaming the remains of his home. Was he no different than the shredded corpses roaming around him, climbing from the waves of fire to satisfy their endless hunger. He had been confronted with so much horror and death. How he'd managed this far was a miracle to even himself. But as the zombies approached he had to make a choice.

"I can't watch the world collapse..." He muttered softly to himself, choosing to reload the ammunition in his clip. Every round was a choice, a choice he made every time. To live or to die. This was his decision. The gun fired.


	2. Chapter 1

**I.**

 **Western Australia, Philosophy City, Philosophy University - 2010, 08, 12**

Philosophy City was far from a booming metropolis. A small secluded town that nestled tightly against the wide and empty arid landscapes of Western Australia. An hour drive outside the cities edge, but not quite at its limits, settled the large oasis that housed the institution, Philosophy University. Owned and operated by the Sennett Organization for the express purpose of training young and talented minds in the arts of various sciences. The current Chancellor, Ezra Sennett, had taken a deep pride into the reputation of the school in particular. It was true that students from all over the world had applied in hopes of obtain a coveted education from such a notable former child prodigy and medic, Rebecca Chambers, the school was a different kind of oasis. Full of minds that engaged her in deep and meaningful just that of the professors, the students. The bright minds that gave her a deep sense of hope in the future of the world. For the last month and the next few to follow, she was to act as an instructor and professor for the universities 'Biology and Mathematics' program. An honor she did not take lightly. The staff had comprised of seasoned veterans who had made outstanding advances in their individual fields. Even as a woman in her 30's, she still felt as she did a member of S.T.A.R.S at 18. Far too young to be there.

"This is it for today. I want anyone to raise their hand if they think they can solve it." Rebecca stood brimming with confidence at the front of the small university classroom. The days class had just about reached its conclusion and the lesson plan had been conducted in full. The last problem had been something Rebecca had come up with a few years ago when she had first started teaching, for a University named Philosophy University, she believed the lesson would be effective. It was to this end that she summoned her top student, Mary Grey, to take on the puzzle first.

Mary was a girl with an academic, comprised of beauty, poise and intellect. She wasn't like the other girls in class with their modern attitudes, Mary was a classical girl with curls that fell like dark rings of water down her back and shoulders. Her modest dress was like that of a doll, a soft pinkish hue that fell down to her knees. Her modesty was only exemplified by the white stockings that seperated the hem of her dress with her black buckled shoes. As she ran the black dry erase marker along the blank white canvas, numbers, mathematical symbols, variables and integers exploded in rapid succession. As was usual for the amazing Mary Grey.

Rebecca continued to encourage her class but the instructor's words failed to penetrate the distracted mind of Olivia Price, chewing gently on her pen tip. Olivia had been eyeing Rebecca over since the lecture ended, contemplating a question she had been mulling over since the first week of Rebecca's stay. When she finally rose her hand, Rebecca had incorrectly assumed interest in the problem and called upon the fashionable young woman.

"Ms. Chambers, Do you have a boyfriend waiting for you back home?" Olivia innocently asked, coyly tilting her head, her high auburn ponytail flopping to the side playfully. The billowing chatter from the class around them revealed their own interest in the 'new' problem. Rebecca couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"A little tougher than the question you came up with, huh?" Laird Peterson joked.

Olivia insisted through Rebecca's silence, leaving her seat and danced by Mary - still concentrating on the problem - to confront her teacher at the front podium.

"You've been our sub for a month now, that's more than enough time to ask this sort of thing. Don't you think?" Her accented voice was bright and cute through her question. "I bet you're in a long distance relationship with a boyfriend back home in America, or...is it a secret love, we promise we won't say anything. Right guys?"  
"Sounds like you're the one with romance on the brain, Olivia." Rebecca said bemused, and also deflecting, "You have a boyfriend you're not telling us about?"

Olivia's mouth curled up into a proud, giddy smile.

'Had this been her intention?' Rebecca pondered as Olivia scanned the class for someone. Another classmate.

"Well, I did want to keep it a secret, he is the most popular guy in the science department after all, but…" She hesitated again, biting her lip excited. "What the hell!" She finally said, before she exclaimed with a chirp, "I've been seeing Lucas Butler!"

Mary's marker scratched down the board. Her mind raced in all directions except toward the solution to the problem before her. She turned her head discretely to try and catch a glimpse of Lucas behind her. He was a handsome man with stylish blond hair and a blue button up shirt made classic with a simple tie. He was someone Mary had considered a friend, one of the few people she felt she could actually hold an intelligent conversation with. He wasn't as bright as she was but she liked him regardless. Seeing him with Olivia made her stomach turn. She was far from worthy of his hand.

"I'm so glad it's finally out!" Olivia said, sighing dramatically, as she raced to Lucas and embraced him in a tight hug.

Mary grit her teeth, how someone like Olivia even made it into the halls of the institute was enough of a puzzle to solve.  
'How could he choose her?' Mary internally demanded. She slammed her palm against the blackboard aggressively. The attention of the class was caught again as she drug her slender fingers through the marker and smeared her solution beneath her hand.

"I can't do it." She said, bitterly, "I can't solve the chemical reaction formula."

Everyone had officially lost interest in Olivia and Lucas' debut and found themselves vocally expressing their shock, "Mary with the IQ of 230 can't solve a problem?"

"Everyone, relax. Laird raise your hand before you speak." Rebecca said cooly, easing the raising taunts with a downward gesture of her hands as she made her way to Mary's side. She took the marker from her fingers and drew a clumsy question mark where the conclusion should have gone. "The truth is: Mary is right. There is no solution to the problem."  
"Is that a joke?" Lucas said, under the captivity of Olivia's grasp, "You're usually so purposeful with your equations.".

Rebecca smiled and urged Mary to take her seat, which she was hesitant to do.  
"No matter which direction you face in your life, no matter which science you study there won't always be an answer that math and science can explain. But, we also have countless opportunities to find new discoveries. For Instance, if we take another look at the linear- "

"You're wrong, Ms. Chambers." Mary said suddenly. Her voice sudden, in a burst of almost excitement. Her eyes widened in passion as she recited what sounded like a passage, "If the human race has reached its limit, it is the time of something greater to break through those barriers and become something greater. Something more. Start again..."

A silence darkened over the attentive class at Mary's unusually dark answer, the girl was typically quiet and introverted. For her to speak so proudly was unnatural in some way.

"More than human?" Rebecca asked bemused, "I think you missed my point, Mary…"

Mary's expression remained unreadable, flat and swept behind her falling ringlets.

"I hope for all our sakes the world never comes to that. I know it's a confusing ideal, but I want you to remember it. It's something I learned when I was your age. There's some just some things the human race isn't meant to mess with."


	3. Chapter 2

II.

When class ended and Rebecca finally allowed the class to leave, it was Lucas and Olivia who had left together first. This wasn't the first time they'd left side by side but it was the first time their hands interlocked. Together they bid their classmates farewell and slipped out the classroom door while Mary eyed every movement before she too fled the classroom.

Through the halls, Mary escaped to the rooftops with tear brimmed eyes - the roof, a frequent escape to the bookish introvert. It was a wide and spacious area, with high fences wrapped around the edges and a far off view of the barren landscape beyond.

At the moment, however, she had no time to enjoy the scenery. Her body felt drained and she collapsed down in defeat against the railings. She knew how foolish her feelings truly were, it wasn't as though she had ever verbalized her feelings to Lucas. How was he to know? And even if he did return her feelings, what then? Would she truly be happy in his arms? And yet, that image that appeared in her mind at that thought overwhelmed her and she began to weep. She slammed her textbooks to the ground in frustration and cried aloud, her voice caught by the wind and blown away like the sands of the desert beyond. Softly and slowly, she began to regain her composure. She wasn't used to acting so...typical. Crying over boy? Her? How ludicrous. She even tore her text book with her tantrum. As she began to examine the damage of her book, a sudden noise from behind caught her off guard.

There was someone else on the roof with her.

For a moment she felt violated, the area was forbidden to students, her own presence was against school regulations (it was because of her academic standing and reputation that she was able to get away with it). But the man that stood opposite of her did not even look like student let alone a teacher.

The man that stood across the roof was a man in his late 20's. He attire comprised of dark leather jacket and dark blue jeans, his shadowy features and elongated fringe hid his expression at this distance making him appear as a shadow. When he finally stopped his stride, he reached into his shirt and pulled something free. From the distance between them, it appeared to be an elaborate examined it thoughtfully as Mary approached him from behind.

"Who are you?" Mary demanded, gently yet still unable to contain her frustration by his presence.

The man's attention was firmly attained, finally revealing his handsome face and alarmed expression. Before she could take a closer look at his accessory, he had quickly slipped it back into his shirt where it came. He gave no interest in the coversation.

"Nobody." he replied defensively, he dropped his head down and let his fringe mask his face again. As he rushed away toward the second staircase she called for him. Why he stopped he was not sure, but there was something about her voice that he found compelling.

"I can feel anger from you. And a deep loneliness." She said, taking one careful step

toward the stranger, feeling a connection deep in his eyes. It was unlike what she had felt with Lucas, this was not love. It was a different kind of connection. "You're just like me."

Still, he did not speak but no effort to flee.

" Why are people so unwilling to admit their loneliness to others?" She asked.

By now, the stranger before her could no longer maintain his silence. He chuckled, amused, and tucked his hands cooly into his pocket.

"Are you a student her-"

"Why are you so unwilling to admit it?" She insisted.

The amusement faded as he thought for a moment, "I guess I'm ashamed of it."

"Are you? Maybe that's normal. Lately, I've been starting to suspect that loneliness is actually a power. With loneliness comes freedom. " She said proudly,

"Is that so?" He remarked, "In my experience, I find that loneliness just makes for some really angry people."

"You're entitled to your opinion even if I disagree. Loneliness has made me strong. Even if that means I can't truly live..."

She clutched her text books tightly to her rose-tinted dress, her bulky bangle pressing firmly against the torn cover.

"I can relate..." He admitted, "To not feeling alive." he stepped beside her and looked out to the sunset on the horizon.

She could feel that connection again. Not love, that love was shattered along with her heard. But even with a heart of shattered glass, Mary Grey couldn't help but smile at the mysterious stranger whose heart connected with hers with a brief few words.

"Do you know what today is?" She asked, causing him to look down at her with intrigue, "Today, for you and I, is the first day of the rest of our lives. A day of new beginnings." She smiled hopefully and leaned into his ear, bringing her lips close and whispered softly.

He stared blankly as she stepped away, their eyes never separating, before they did and Mary fled to the stairs she had climbed only minutes earlier. The man chased after her, but she paused and spoke again.

"I knew it...you're the same as me." She reiterated, before continuing her decline down the stairs.

"Wait!" The man called out.

Mary stopped, and turned up to face him again, "If you come back can I see you again?"

He did not answer and she left without another word.

"The day of a new beginning…" he repeated, her voice resonating deep within him.


	4. Chapter 3

**III.**

Rebecca had been summoned to Chancellor Ezra Sennett's office shortly after class by his secretary, Matthew Russell - who Rebecca had some apprehension toward. She had been passing by the teacher's lounge when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"There you are, Rebecca!"

"Oh, Bethany. Hi." Bethany Buxton was a playful middle aged woman with a strong demeanor, she was incredibly smart and articulate, with a tongue as sharp as any dagger. "I have literally been looking for you all afternoon. I've been trying to return your books." She handed over a handful of books that Rebecca happily took back.

"You didn't have to rush them to me. I hope they were helpful."

"They were. I have to keep studying beyond my specialty if I want to keep up with the kids these days."

Bethany had a joking tone but it was very much the truth. The students they were educating were among the most intelligent in the world. Rebecca had been a child prodigy herself and felt a kinship to the bright populace of Philosophy University, something she never felt at some of the other university's she'd worked at. Some of the students she was supposed to be teaching were quite possibly her intellectual equal or superior.

"Oh, by the way, you should probably know there's been another one…Another student, I mean."

Rebecca scanned Bethany for a moment trying to figure what she was implying, until it hit her all at once. Her posture tightened with unnerve. This was the 3rd student to go missing since she'd started working in the school and there was many more before that. Bethany noted Rebecca's solemn expression and placed a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.

"I'm supposed to meet with the Mr. Sennet, would you want to meet up for dinner in like an hour?" Rebecca asked.

"Ya, that sounds great, I just have to talk to Carson. Meet you here in like 20 minutes?"

"Alright, I shouldn't be long." Rebecca smiled and waved as she rushed to meet with the the Chancellor.

Ezra Sennet was a warm hearted man with a deep passion for education and the school as a whole. The reputation was important to him and if one member of the faculty took the missing persons case more seriously than the others, it would definitely be the University's president.

To Rebecca, he was a kind but serious man, who would surely do anything to find information on the disappearances. She felt a certain amount of trust toward her employer and did not enter his chamber with any apprehension. In the secluded campus grounds there was not much room for a secret to escape.

"Hello? Sir? It's Rebecca Chambers." She announced herself politely.

The man had been crouched over his polished desk, clad in a comfortable brown suit with v-shaped collar that gave him the comfort of breathe. His desk was clad with scrambled papers in a disorganized frenzy, obsessing over the words they bore. He turned up at the sound of her greeting, feigning a relaxed tone and greeting Rebecca from where he sat.

"How are things Rebecca, have you been getting settled?" he held his hand out to greet her, which she graciously took.

"Things are great sir. I've had the opportunity to teach Mary Grey's class. She's been around the school, and teaching me about life here. She's been teaching me allot actually. She's incredibly bright."

"Ah, is that so?" He replied, bemused.

"Mary Grey is a excellent pupil" Said a voice from above. Rebecca turned to spy Matthew descending from the staircase beside her. "She's an enormous asset to our University, I hope you're not bothering her with nonsense."

Rebecca cocked an eyebrow in his direction, but before she could speak the chancellor spoke again.

"Say, Rebecca. You've no doubt heard about the missing students case. Right?"

"Yes, sir. Actually. I just heard there was another."

"Well, first, let me say that I can't afford any damage to our reputation. Rumors can do as much as cold facts these days. My family and I have put many years into this school, I refuse to watch it fall apart because of a scandal."

"What he means to say is we'd like to know whether or not you know anything about the situation." Matthew asked.

Rebecca shook her head calmly.

"I don't, I'm sorry."

"Are you sure about that?" Spoke a sudden third voice. The man that emerged behind Matthew was a tall, lean man with blond hair, slicked back loosely with a black and red suit. Rebecca couldn't help but feel a tad defensive by the presence of the two unannounced men but remained composed.

"Rebecca, I'd like to introduce you to the detective whom I've hired to secretly investigate the events. Barrington Mayer." Ezra explained.

Barrington held out his hand and smiled warmly, almost a bit too warmly, and took Rebecca's grip, shaking it with a tad too much strength. He eyed her up arrogantly and firmly spoke,

"So, Miss Chambers, I heard you're into fossils?"

"What kind of question is that?"

He stepped over to the desk and searched the clutter of paperwork, after finding something he seemed to have been looking for, he re-approached Rebecca and handed her the piece of white paper. Or rather, it was a photograph, a print-out from a security camera revealing Rebecca herself searching through the schools collection of fossils. She looked up annoyed.

"It seems you've been spending a great deal of time in Dr. Howard's department."

"I'm an academic person. The discipline of science,which I specialize in, consists of the very world we live in and life itself." As always, Rebecca spoke with confidence. She hated when men spoke down to her like she was a child and more than that, she couldn't believe the accusation being put upon her. "It's nothing special that I'm interested in fossils and archaeology. But if Mr. Sennet wants to restrict my activities, I'll comply."

The chancellor shook his head and chuckled, making her believe that she wasn't as much of a suspect as she had initially assumed.

"Not at all, the human race lives to learn. It's the only way we'll achieve our full intellectual potential. I'm sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable, I just wanted your cooperate with our investigation."

"Of course, sir. If you'll excuse me." She turned and left, giving Mayer a snide glance before exiting the office. He watched her until she shut the door behind her before he gave Ezra a knowing look.

"See? It's like I said. Her behavior is definitely suspicious. There's no way she snuck in there after dark just to look at some bones. I'll have to work a little 'overtime' keeping an eye on our little substitute teacher." Barrington said, making his way to the Ezra's desk and holding out his hand expectantly.

Ezra stared unsure at Barrington's hand before placing a small bundle of bills into it with a small sigh.

Barrington arrogantly smirked and counted each bill, before he followed Rebecca's path out of the offices main door.

For a moment there was silence until Matthew finally spoke.  
"This might not be the place of a secretary, but-"  
"Matthew. You know you aren't just a secretary, speak your mind."

"I think you're giving Mr. Mayer too much for his services. I don't trust that man."

"That man's love for money surely knows no bounds…"

"I understand that you don't want to jeopardize the reputation of the University, which you earned through years of hard work and dedication. I also understand the need to become involved in these shady dealings with the police. But what if something happens and they turn on you? On the school? What of our reputation then!?"

"You're right. You're always right, Matthew. You're very wise and I'm very proud of you my son."

"I'm sorry, I overstepped my boundaries."

"Not at all," Ezra warmly insisted, placing his hand on the shoulder of his ward, "You're the one I trust most of all."

Outside the door, Barrington listened intently.

'Matthew Russel,' He thought, smirking confidently, 'You're pretty suspicious yourself…"


	5. Chapter 4

**IV.**

Over the course of the hour, following her meeting on the roof, Mary roamed the halls of the University. She had no objective or obstacle, only that she had no interest in returning to the dormitory building. She could see Lucas' charming smile tempting her and Olivia's snide glare taunting her. She could feel her heart speeding up and the loneliness she claimed gave her strength would once again serge through her. She clenched her fist, her bulky bangle shaking as she did.

"Hi Mary." Rebecca greeted.

Mary was caught off guard with a surprised yelp.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Rebecca apologized genuinely, "I didn't mean to startle you." Still clutching a small stack of textbooks, the bookish teacher had approached her student from the faculty offices off the southern wing.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. You just caught me deep in thought." Mary replied, tucking her long black hair behind her ear with a demure chuckle. "I actually wanted to apologize for my outburst in class about the human race. I was...dealing with something."

Rebecca instantly recalled Matthew's warning, 'I hope you're not bothering her with nonsense.' Just how much pressure was this girl under?

"I hope you don't mind mind if I say something strange again, do you?" Mary asked curiously, "The path you took in life. Was it a path you took out of your own free will?"

"I suppose so. Why do you ask?"

"Well, today, it sort of dawned on me. What I want to do with my life, the path I want to take. But I'm afraid."

Rebecca approached, eager to rectify her students heightened stress levels, "Not everyone finds their calling in life, Mary." She spoke encouragingly, "If you feel you've found yours. You shouldn't be afraid, be strong."

"You're right." Mary smiled, "I will be."

"Ms. Rebecca!"

Of all the voices for Mary to hear, Olivia Price rushed up the staircase with Lucas in hand and three other students stumbling behind him in fear. Panic dripping from every inch of their bodies.

"You have to help us!" Olivia pleaded, clutching tightly to Rebecca's lab coat.

Rebecca looked down at her hysterical student in confusion until she spotted, just at the bottom of the staircase, four people shuffle by brisky. Perhaps people was the wrong word. Rebecca's face blanked in horror as she grabbed Olivia and shoved her, beside Mary, behind her.

Rebecca's eyes darted back and forth down the halls looking for anybody, literally anybody. When Bethany stepped out from the fork in the hall she rushed. She too looked frazzled, her tight bun having been clumsily released from the elastic still trapped within.

"Bethany!" Rebecca called.  
"Rebecca? What's happening!?" Bethany demanded terrified.

"Bethany, quick. Is there a room nearby with heavy doors we can lock?"

"I guess the A/V room…"

"Take us there, right away." She said, "Everyone let's go!" Rebecca's voice was stern and full of authority, very different from the easy going and bookish teacher they'd been listening to earlier that afternoon.

The halls of the University were maze like and the group of fleeing students cowering behind Rebecca had grown in number. Lucas, Olivia and Mary all watched Rebecca's lead with some bewilderment.

"What's going on!? What happened to those people!?"

"It's complicated. But I can tell you this much, those are NOT people anymore."

A scream erupted from ahead of them and a pair of students fell fraily from beyond the turn in the hall, as the shambling human-like creature fell upon them and began to feast upon their flesh. Rebecca had confirmed what she had already expected. They were dealing with old fashioned zombies. It was just as she'd feared, what they'd all feared, when they first heard whispers of the vanishing students in the Australian University. Despite Mr. Sennett's attempts to keep the incidents quiet, the report had reached them, thanks to their Oceania branch.

And now they were quickly becoming surrounded, Rebecca looked forward down their path to the A/V room. At least five zombies had made their way into the halls. The large group that had accumulated had suddenly become a platter of fresh meat to be feasted upon. It wouldn't be wise for everyone to rush through together but every classroom had locks. Not as safe as a room with heavy doors, but it would make do until help arrived. Rebecca had to make her move.

"Everyone, scatter, lock yourself in the rooms. Don't open it until someone comes to get you."

The group split up as the zombies lashed out in their voracious hunger. Bethany grabbed Mary's wrist and pulled her forward, just as she'd grabbed Lucas' hand. Keeping their group together and avoiding the undead while Rebecca stayed purposely behind..

"Follow me! Hurry." Bethany cried out, rushing forward, the AV room wasn't much farther. They'd all be safe there. That's what Rebecca said, anyway. She seemed to have known more about these creatures than anyone else. Just as they'd reached the entrance, a sudden tug on her wrist pulled her to an immediate stop.

"Olivia!?" The pull had come from Lucas. "Where's Olivia!?" He rushed back the way he came before his hand got tugged back in return.

"Where do you think you're going!?" She snapped.

"She must have stayed behind in one of the rooms back there! I can't leave her alone."

Bethany shot him a concerned and anxious look before she nodded and took a second glance the way they came. "I'll go find her. I need you and Mary to lock yourself in the AV room and don't let anyone in until we come to get you. Okay!?"

Despite Lucas' protests, Mary urged him into the room and the heavy door sealed them closed.

Rebecca hid outside in the halls, out of view from the roaming zombies, her objective was the Security room. There were security cameras located inside and access to the emergency shutters. The students would definitely be safer contained within the emergency shutters and the zombies would also be contained. There was also a contact she needed to reach, immediately. She fumbled with the cellphone in her hand and scrolled through the contacts on display. She was looking for a number, the number of her emergency contact.

"Redfield…Redfield...Chris Redfield!" Just as her finger moved to send, a solitary figure emerged from the halls ahead of her.

The figure fired a handgun into the forehead of one of the pursuing zombies and rushed by Rebecca without noticing her presence. He was close enough to see clearly, a familiar looking man, the face of a man she'd not seen in a long time. With his black hair and peculiar pendant dangling from his neck.

"Tyler Howard?" She made a single movement to approach before he fled off into the darkness and the moans of the undead began to approach once again. Rebecca pressed send on her call and fled for security.


	6. Chapter 5

**V.**

Piers Nivans, BSAA - North American Branch, had been driving the SUV through the barren desert-like roads that led to Philosophy University. The unviersity itself was a long distance from civilization - as their missions so often took them. His Captain and partner, Chris Redfield, had been going over the details of the Biohazard at the university through the report submitted from the Oceania Branch. All the information they had were details shared through the first-hand account of Chris' former colleague, Rebecca Chambers and one of the first responding agents from the area.

"Most of the students have been evacuated but a great deal are also unaccounted for or trapped inside." Chris explained, "We should be approaching shortly the grounds shortly."  
"I can see it."

The path to the school was clearly distinguished, a long paved road lined with tall beautiful lanterns and a small forward breaking the sandy terrain into greener fields. It was almost as if they had entered a completely different area.

"Captain, how well do you know Rebecca Chambers? Can we trust her intel? She _was_ handling this alone until the outbreak." Piers asked. He wasn't distrustful, but it wasn't the same situation it was with Jill Valentine and Barry Burton (who were alligned heavily with the BSAA). Rebecca Chambers was a scarcely mentioned former associate of Chris' who had never collaborated with Nivans in combat. Though she did have affiliations with the organization as a whole, her specialty had been with the sciences and not in the field so her role had never been quite pronounced to him.

"Absolutely." Chris said confidently, his voice gruff from the years of unending horror and combat. "As you know, in 1998, Rebecca Chambers was a member of S.T.A.R.S, The Special Tactics and Rescue Service operating in Raccoon City. She had been hired at the young age of 18 - despite having no combat experience. Unfortunately, her promotion came shortly before the mansion incident and she became involved, but unlike me she was a member of Bravo Team so until then we'd never met."

 **Mid-Western America, Raccoon City - 1998**

It all began with a series of murders in the outskirts of Raccoon City, in the Arklay Mountains, and it ended with an earth shattering explosion in a mansion owned by the founder of Umbrella Incorporated, Oswell E. Spencer.

Bravo Team had been sent in first to investigate the murders but shortly after departing, they went silent and disappeared. When Chris and Alpha team were sent in to retrieve them they were immediately attacked by infected dogs called Cerberus who forced them into the nearby mansion.

Chris Redfield and his colleagues separated from each other in search of their missing compatriots. While exploring the first floor, Chris entered a medicine room when he was suddenly assaulted by a burst of aerosol fluid spraying out in his direction. The smell was overwhelmingly bug repellent and was being held in the grasp of a young teenage girl clad in a green medic's uniform. When she finally opened her eyes and saw who she was spraying, she stopped immediately.

"Oh my God!" She cried out loud, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that! I thought you were a zombie."

"Get down!" Chris ordered, as a large green amphibious creature crashed through the rooms window. It sliced at Rebecca just as she'd ducked as ordered. Chris fired one round from his magnum into the creature, the round blasting a hole deep in the green scaly hide of the Hunter, and sending crashing down the floor with a wet thud. Rebecca shook staring at the monstrous corpse slumped beside her but Chris offered his hand and pulled her back to her feet.

"Thanks…" she said, trying not to reveal her frayed nerves as her savior forced a smile despite their surroundings. It was a smile that surprisingly comforted her.

"You're with Bravo Team?" he asked, noting her uniform but not recognizing her face. He had heard about the new rookie, he knew she was a young woman but he didn't except her to be quite as young as she appeared.

She saluted awkwardly, "Rebecca Chambers. I'm the newcomer. I joined the Bravo Team last month."

"Chris Redfield, Alpha Team. What happened to you guys? We lost contact completely. Where's everyone else? Kenneth, Forest?"

"I'm not sure _what_ happened. The helicopter malfunctioned shortly into our flight, we crashed...the team got separated and I-well…" she paused, avoided Chris' eyes and continued, "By the time I made it to the mansion, everyone was already dead. Killed by the monsters in this mansion...I've been hiding in this room ever since."

"Sounds like you picked a good location, this place is stocked full of medicines. Do you know how to use all this stuff?" He asked, noting the contents of the room. Shelves covered the walls, lined with bottles full of various liquids and labels. Chemical names and formulas he could not understand.

"Yup." Rebecca replied, "Oddly, everything here is manufactured by the Umbrella Corporation. I mean, it is high quality, but the owner of this mansion must have had some sort of affiliation with the company."

In hindsight, that could have been one of the first clues that indicated Umbrella's involvement in the ordeal. It wasn't until they confirmed it by entering the underground labs that everything truly began to take shape. When they found their Captain, Albert Wesker, in the secret laboratories. He shot Rebecca and released the experimental Tyrant. A humanoid giant of a creature with claws for hands and a giant pulsating heart appendage over his chest. The creature skewered Wesker and Chris, Jill and Barry were forced to take on and kill the Tyrant before escaping to the roof tops. Soon, their timid pilot, Brad Vickers, was about to meet them to make their daring escape from the laboratory. Rebecca, who had survived her wound thanks to her bulletproof vest, was not satisfied with the conclusion.

"Chris, we can't leave yet!" She shouted as they reached the elevator, "This place is still dripping with the T-Virus. If we leave things like this, the infection will just continue to spread. More people are going to die. We came here to stop the murders in the Arklay Mountains and we still have a job to do. I can set the auto-destruct sequence using the explosives in the other room. We can wipe this virus off the face of the Earth!" Rebecca would go on to trigger the self destruct sequence and the quartet escaped in time to watch the evidence against Umbrella burst into a firey cloud of destruction.

It wasn't until 2003, when data revealing the secret dealings between the Umbrella Corporation were submitted to courts that the corporation was found guilty of their crimes. Not just for the deaths of S.T.A.R.S, but also the countless victims all over the world who fell under the deadly claw of their bio-weapons. But as the company fell into bankruptcy and their experimentation came to an end, the fruits of their experimentation lingered in the black marker to be used in Bio-terrorism. They were unable to wipe the virus away and now they all felt an obligation to keep trying.

It was because of this that the Global Pharmaceutical Consortium put forward the first steps in creating the B.S.A.A, the anti-bio-terrorist alliance Chris became one of the founding members of. In the years that followed, the world continued to feel the sting of evil weaponry all over the world but the BSAA would always be the fight back.

 **Western Australia, Philosophy University, 2010, 08, 12**

"She and I cooperated allot through that night. Just like Jill and Barry, I trust her with my life.

Chris and Piers made their way from their vehicle to the large gated entrance way to the school grounds. Right now, the gates were closed and as they'd expected zombies already roamed the courtyard beyond. Luckily, the numbers remained low and Piers' quickly secured his Sig Sauer SSG 3000 to clear the area. His eagle eye tracked the forehead of each enemy and one-by-one-by one he made short work of the stumbling crowd. From there, the path to the school would be open. The two men pushed the gate clear and, assault rifles armed, rushed the walk way to the sizeable, yet less imposing, entrance to the school building itself.

As Nivan's had only moments earlier reminded his captain, Rebecca was holding up in the security room with a few other survivors at the back of the first floor. The main entrance way was a large large hall branching down into three wings. The West Wing, the South Wing and the North Wing. The security room was down a small, path concurrent with the North Wing. Chris and Piers hurried down that coridoor and rushed toward their coordinates, the zig- zagging passage of the thin halls left them unprepared for the sudden undead at every turn but with a quick stab of his combat knife, Chris was able take down all four zombies in their path. The security finally stood before them.

The two men listened within and heard a gentle chattering, the two nodded to each other in confirmation and moved on to opposing sides of the door, backs to the wall. Chris raised his fist to the door and knocked. The sound of the lock clicked loudly in the silence before it slowly opened.


	7. Chapter 6

**VI**.

 **Second Floor Hallway**

Posh Brown had been employed as a Security Guard for the last 15 years of his life. Of those 15 years, all but one had been spent in the halls of Philosophy University. His father had been a close and dear friend of Mr. Sennett and his hiring had been a favor. The two became close colleagues over their years. Though, Posh was not blind to the lack of trust Mr. Sennett had in his ability. When the first disappearance happened, he was put on high alert. He would see someone in the monitors, travel to the area to investigate - find nothing, and the next day another student will have gone missing. It would happen again and again. He could see the students glaring at him with mocking glances and broke his strength. Even his stern and intimidating face could no longer hide the terror that he so frequently let control his actions. Did he really think that, and the seclusion of the school, would really free him of any responsibility?

He scrambled down the halls alone now, quaking in his boots in fear, he knew they were wrong with their decision to hire him. Now more than ever. So where was that detective? The one that Mr. Sennett had hired shortly after he'd failed to stop the disappearances. He was a little more open with his mockery than the students he cared for so very much. Even with the fear enveloping every fiber of his being, causing him to tremble and yelp at every possible movement, he still pursued the students lost in the halls of the school. Even after fourteen years, in the dark and the mask of fear, everything seemed increasingly unfamiliar. To make matters worse, the crying of the monsters down the corridors lingered intensely from every direction. He could he feel himself visibly cowering from each the sound.

When everything started, he had seen a student, Paula Ranoue. Paula was a kind-hearted student who participating in some of the rare sports clubs and the student council. She would always smile to Posh, say 'Hi' and give him little waves in the hall. She even knew him by his first name which was so very rare. When it all began with the monsters, she had been attacked by another student, another familiar face - contorted in snarling hunger and covered in blood, and when the time came for him to fire his gun. He couldn't. Even now, clenching it tightly in his hands, he knew the safety was on and had no intention of arming it to fire. It brought him no solace. He let little Paula get devoured and now he too would be devoured. And yet, despite his unwillingness to shoot he could not bring himself to abandon the precious student body he'd sworn to protect. He'd never be able to live with himself if he were to flee the grounds. And so he continued to search helplessly, offering no aid and rushing off from the shambling footsteps in whimpering cries.


End file.
